xp_logs | Artie and Maddie: Friday Night Homework

Artie and Maddie's usually boring homework session ends with expletives and storming out.

Maddie looked up from the laptop balanced on her crossed legs, her lips pursed in concentration, and sighed. The end of the school year was close to ending, so close she could almost taste freedom, but apparently the teachers hadn't gotten the memo. Nope. They were still just as tough on the homework front as ever. It was like they were trying to kill her. A three to five page paper on Shakespeare.

Yee-uck.

~Hey.~ Her leg jutted out and poked the person sitting across from her with a barefoot. ~Stop looking at porn. Perv.~

You wish I was looking at porn Artie signed in reply, turning his laptop so that Maddie could see the manuscript images on it. I'm doing powers training, memorising these for Marie-Ange.

~I'll memorize your manuscript pages if you write my paper?~ Not that she would be able to do that either. In Maddie's opinion, Artie's powers were more awesome than her own, but she would so not want to have to spend all those hours trying to recreate all the little details of images and whatnot. She smiled as his laptop floated out of his hands and raised a few inches into the air.

~I'll even throw in an ice cream sundae.~

Artie snatched the laptop out of the air, thinking 'Goddamn telekinetics' loudly at Maddie as he caught it, putting it down on the table. I'm not writing your papers. Next time you ask, I will and I'll make sure you fail, he signed as soon as his hands were free.

Maddie stuck her tongue out then burst into a fit of giggles. ~What?~ She assumed a look of innocence that might even fool Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. ~I'm practicing my powers!~

You'll break my laptop!" Artie threw a pillow at her.

The pillow stopped mid-arch and floated there for a few moments, while the telekinetic tried to decide what to do with it. A mischievous, Cheshire Cat-like smile appeared on her face, and the pillow soared back to the thrower. It danced around his head, hovering a few inches in front of his face, darting forward in an attempt to hit its target.

Artie ducked and covered, rolling behind the couch and hurled another pillow from safety.

"Coward!" Maddie popped her head above the back of the sofa, staring down at Artie. "You still missed."

He dived over the couch, taking her out on the way.

Maddie yelped as Artie's sneak attack sent the both of them tumbling to the floor. She shoved him back, but the element of surprise had gained Artie a crucial advantage as Maddie lay pinned on the floor.

"Get off me you big oaf!"

He rolled off to one side, laughing silently. "Got you." It was in large floating letters in front of her eyes.

Taking advantage of the space left open, Maddie pushed herself up and threw her weight into giving Artie a taste of his own medicine. "You are so easy," she remarked, staring down at him, her hair falling over his face. "Seriously. It would be funny if it weren't so sad."

"screw you." The words floated between their faces.

~Well if you insist,~ she teased. Passing through the words, Maddie leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

Well, it was basically what he had said.

Artie flailed, knocking Maddie to one side and sitting up. He took a moment to scrub his hands through his hair. What the hell, Mad? What the hell was that? Seriously. Um. We're just friends.

She sat there, staring up at him, completely dumbfounded. "I thought you were flirting with me." Her tone was soft, almost sing-songy, distant. All that squabbling, teasing, the poking and play wrestling, going out to eat. "I thought you just..." she shook her head. "I don't know."

What the hell? No, I wasn't flirting with you. You're just, you know, a friend. Like, like, Kyle and Matt, when they're not being douches, and Lay. Artie stood up and moved away slight. I'm really sorry.

Maddie jumped up. "Wait. So I'm just 'one of the guys.," She was just shy of yelling at him. "Or are you saying that I am a guy? Which is it? Because, news flash, I'm a girl. I have girl parts."

No! I just. I don't want to you know, *kiss* you.

"And why not," she asked, hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Am I not pretty enough for you? Are my boobs not big enough? What?"

Look, you're awesome. I just don't know, okay? Artie shrugged miserably and looked really uncomfortable.

Maddie couldn't believe this. Even if he didn't like her, he didn't have to act like she was a brain eating zombie or something else to freak out over if they got close to you. All she did was kiss him. Ugh. He was such a jerk.

"You're an asshole," Maddie stated matter-of-factly. She sighed in exasperation and marched over to where her books and laptop had been placed on the floor. She gathered them up in her arms, and made a beeline for the hallway, making sure to kick that stupid pillow that lay in her way. She imagined Artie's head on it. Stupid stupidhead.

"You know what?" Maddie stopped at the door. "I am awesome. And you can go fuck yourself."

"how the fuck was i supposed to know you were going to kiss me? jesus!" The text floated down the hall after Maddie. Artie sighed and gathered his books and laptop up. Fuck it. Screw the Mansion, Maddie and his homework. He figured that he might as well go into New York for the afternoon and hustle tourists, instead. They needed to learn and he couldn't face spending the rest of the afternoon around here right now.